The present invention relates to a technical field of a print system for outputting mainly a print (photography) in which an image taken on a film is reproduced.
Currently, images recorded on photographic film such as negative film, reversal film and the like (hereinafter referred to simply as film) have been commonly printed on light-sensitive material (photographic paper) by means of direct (analog) exposure in which a film image is projected onto the light-sensitive material.
In recent years, a digital photo printer using digital exposure has been developed to a practical application level. According to this new technology, an image recorded on a film is read photoelectrically and the read image is converted to digital signals and subjected to various image processing to produce output image data for recording purpose. A light-sensitive material is scanned and exposed by a recording light modulated depending on this image data so as to record an image (latent image), which is subsequently developed to produce a (finished) print.
In the digital photoprinter, images are handled as digital image data so that an exposure condition for print can be determined by image data processing. Therefore, it is possible to carry out effective image processing operations such as the correction of washed-out highlights or dull shadows caused by photographing with backlight or an electronic flash or the like, sharpness processing, the correction of color or density failure and the like. As a result, a high quality print which has never been realized by a conventional direct exposure can be obtained. Further, composition of plural images, splitting an image to plural image sections, composition of characters or the like can be achieved by image data processing and freely edited/processed print corresponding to a purpose can be output.
Further, in the digital photoprinter, not only an image can be output as a print (photography) but also image data can be supplied to a computer or the like and recorded in such a recording medium as a floppy disk. Therefore, the image data can be used for various purpose other than photography.
The digital photoprinter having such features basically comprises a scanner (image reading apparatus) for reading an image recorded on the film photoelectrically by projecting a reading light to a film and reading its projection light, an image processing apparatus for carrying out a specified image processing on an image data read by the scanner or an image data supplied from a digital camera or the like so as to obtain an output image data for image recording, that is, exposure condition, a printer (image recording apparatus) for recording the image as a latent image by exposing a light-sensitive material by, for example, scanning with light beam corresponding to an image data output from the image processing apparatus, and a processor (developing apparatus) for carrying out development processing on a light-sensitive material exposed by the printer so as to produce a (finished) photographic print in which an image is reproduced.
In the photographic print relying upon the film, there often occurs an opportunity that an image (frame) printed once is output again as a reprint to meet a request for the reprinting. In this case, it is demanded that the color and density of the image coincide with a previously output print (usually, print output at the time of the simultaneous printing that is carried simultaneously with developing the photographed film). However, there often occurs a case in which the color and density of the image differ between the preceding print and the reprint because of an error in judgment or operation of an operator, so that such a complaint from a customer is often heard.
Accordingly, the present invention has been achieved to solve the problems of such conventional technology and therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a print system for outputting a print in which an image recorded on a photographic film or an image recorded with a digital camera is reproduced, the print system being capable of reproducing an image whose color and density are equal to a previous print or a preceding print stably on a reprint or at a following print to meet a request therefor or the like.
In order to attain the object described above, the invention provides a print system for performing image processing on an original image and outputting a print in which said original image is reproduced as a visible image, comprising:
image processing means for performing the image processing on said original image or image data thereof;
setting means for setting the image processing in said image processing means with said original image as image data, in accordance with at least one of the image data and an instruction input from outside;
storage means for storing image processing information of said original image processed by said image processing means and retrieval information for retrieving the original image with correspondence therebetween; and
retrieval means for retrieving the image processing information of the original image of interest in accordance with supplied retrieval information,
wherein when said storage means reprocesses the original image storing the image processing condition and the retrieval information, said setting means sets the image processing by said image processing means in this reprocessing by adding the image processing information retrieved by said retrieval means.
The invention also provides a print system, comprising:
image processing means for performing image processing on an original image or image data thereof; and
image outputting means for outputting a photographic print in which said original image is reproduced as a visible image;
wherein image processing information of said original image at preceding printing can be used again at following printing; further comprising:
storage means for storing said image processing information of said original image at the preceding printing and retrieval information used for retrieving an original image information corresponding to said image processing information at the following printing;
retrieval means for retrieving a relevant original image information among a plurality of the original image information stored by the storage means, based on the retrieval information used for retrieving the original image information at the following printing;
setting means for setting the image processing information of said original image at the following printing, based on said relevant original image information retrieved by retrieval means;
where in said image processing means subjects said original image or said image data thereof to the image processing in accordance with the image processing information set by said setting means and then, said image outputting means outputs a following photographic print based on the original image or the image data thereof subjected to said image processing by said image processing means.
The invention further provides a photographic printer (print system) capable of utilizing print preparation condition of an original image at preceding printing for following printing again, comprising:
print preparation information storage means for storing the print preparation condition of the original image at said preceding printing and retrieval information to be used for retrieving, at said following printing, an original image information corresponding to said print preparation condition of the original image;
retrieval information inputting means for inputting retrieval information to be used for retrieving said original image information at said following printing;
original information retrieval means for retrieving a relevant original image information from among a plurality of said original image information stored in said print preparation information storage means based on said retrieval information inputted by said retrieval information inputting means;
print condition determination means for determining the print preparation condition of said original image at said following printing corresponding to said relevant original image information retrieved by said original image information retrieval means; and
photographic print preparation means for preparing a photographic print out of said original image at said following printing in accordance with the print preparation condition of said original image at said following printing determined by said print condition determination means.
It is preferable that the print system further comprises retrieval information inputting means for inputting said retrieval information.
It is also preferable that the print system further comprises image inputting means for inputting said original image or image data of said original image.
Preferably, the setting means obtains said original image as image data at said preceding printing and sets said image processing information in accordance with at least one of the thus obtained image data and a command to be inputted from outside.
Preferably, said preceding printing represents simultaneous printing whereas said following printing represents reprinting.
Preferably, said image processing information includes kind, order and image processing condition of said image processing to be performed by said image processing means.
Preferably, said storage means stores said image processing information and said retrieval information in a site accessible from a plurality of print systems through a network.
Preferably, said retrieval means retrieves a plurality of sites accessible through a network.
Preferably, said image processing information stored by said storage means includes at least one of the image processing information to be automatically set and the image processing information to be inputted from outside.
Preferably, said image processing information stored by said storage means includes at least one of image input condition, image output condition, a thumbnail image, image characteristic quantity of said original image and image characteristic quantities of a plurality of images processed prior to said original image.
Preferably, said retrieval information stored by said storage means includes at least one of film ID, DX code, user ID, information capable of specifying an image processing apparatus comprising said image processing means, date and time of having performed the image processing, frame number, image characteristic quantity of said original image, image characteristic quantities of a plurality of images processed prior to said original image, histogram information, histogram information of each block image produced by splitting said original image into blocks and image data of low resolution image of said original image. Here, it is more preferable that the retrieval information includes the image characteristic quantities of a plurality of image processed prior to said original image in addition to the image characteristic quantity of said original image.
Preferably, each block image produced by splitting said original image into blocks is obtained by splitting image region of said original image in point symmetry.
Preferably, said low resolution image is at least one of an image having the number of pixels being 16xc3x9716 or less or an image having gradation resolution different from that of said original image.
That is to say, the storage means may store as the retrieval information the low resolution image, for example, a result obtained by subjecting a prescanned image to DCT (discrete cosine transform) operation, namely a result obtained by compressing image data in accordance with an international standard coding system of a color still image.
Preferably, said retrieval information inputting means inputs as said retrieval information at least one of film ID, DX code, user ID, information capable of specifying an image processing apparatus comprising said image processing means, date and time of having performed the image processing, frame number, image characteristic quantity of said original image and image characteristic quantities of a plurality of images processed prior to said original image.
Preferably, said retrieval information to be inputted by said retrieval information inputting means includes information based on at least one of back print information of the photographic print, a customer card, a magnetic recording layer of a film image and information recording means of the film image.
Preferably, at least one of the back print information of said photographic print, the customer card, the magnetic recording layer of the film image and the information recording means of the film image includes at least one of film ID, DX code, user ID, information capable of specifying an image processing apparatus comprising said image processing means, date and time of having performed the image processing and frame number.
Preferably, said retrieval means retrieves as said retrieval information in a combination manner at least one of film ID, DX code, user ID, information capable of specifying an image processing apparatus comprising said image processing means, date and time of having performed the image processing and frame number.
Preferably, said retrieval means includes as said retrieval information at least one of image characteristic quantity of image of said following photographic print, image characteristic quantities of a plurality of images processed prior to the image of said following photographic print, histogram information of image of said following photographic print, histogram information of each block image produced by splitting the image of said following photographic print into blocks, image data of low resolution image of said following photographic print and image data of low resolution images of a plurality of images which are before and after the image of the photographic print including the image itself. Here, it is preferable that splitting the image into the blocks is splitting image region of the original image in point symmetry.
Preferably, said retrieval means is capable of performing confirmation by representing at least one of thumbnail image of the original image at said preceding printing, low resolution image of the image at said preceding printing and low resolution images of a plurality of images which are before and after the image at said preceding printing including the image itself.
Preferably, said retrieval means further performs confirmation by representing simultaneously at least one of the thumbnail image at said following printing, the low resolution image of image at said following printing and low resolution images of a plurality of images which are before and after the image at said following printing including the image itself.
Preferably, said setting means performs recalculation by reference to at least one of image processing condition to be inputted from outside at said preceding printing, image inputting condition and image outputting condition both at said preceding printing, image characteristic quantity at said preceding printing and image characteristic quantities of a plurality of images processed prior to the preceding printing together with the image characteristic quantity at said preceding printing.